False Doctrine

I was a teacher of false doctrine for eight years. The word “doctrine” means teaching. I taught false doctrine because I sat under false doctrine in church and in school. The number one false doctrine that I taught was the false doctrine called “Confession”. This teaching has other names such as “Calling those things that be not as though they are”, “Confession brings possession”, “You can have what you say”, and “You will have what you say”. This teaching is not in the Bible in the context in which it is proclaimed by Word of Faith teachers.When I was a student at RHEMA, we were told many times by our teachers that the “Faith Message” is real easy to teach, but very hard to pastor. In other words, its very exciting and fun to teach, but your office will be filled with people that are not getting the results promised.This erroneous doctrine is based mostly in the King James Version of Mark 11:23. There is a phrase towards the end where Jesus says that you will have whatsoever you say. The Word of Faith has built an entire religion and way of thinking out of this one phrase that has held thousands of Christians in superstitious bondage and fear.Jesus was a teacher, and he taught much like the teachers of his day. He used Jewish and Aramaic teaching tools. Jesus spoke Aramaic and His words were recorded in Greek and then we translated them into English. Jesus often taught in what is called “Hyperbole”. That is that he often used an on purpose exaggeration to make a point. Jesus used hyperbole in many of his teachings. Word of Faith teachers like to pick and choose their hyperbole’s. For instance, in one teaching Jesus says to pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin. In another teaching he talks about hating your family and loving him. He is using contrast and exaggeration for emphasis.The Word of Faith teaches that if you say it, it will happen. It teaches you to have faith in your words and to believe that they will come to pass. It takes the power, purposes and will of a Sovereign God out of His hands and places the power, will and purpose into the believer to speak what he wants and desires. If you can have what you say, then why pray? It takes our trust away from God and puts our trust in ourselves and into our ability to believe.Word of Faith people live in constant fear and bondage to their words. They live in constant fear that if they say the wrong thing that it will result in sickness and tragedy.I cannot tell you how many people that I have pastored that have gotten so twisted up in this false teaching that they have denied serious symptoms, car trouble, needs and so on. I had a dear friend that went to the dentist to have a knot removed from his jaw. He was afraid to tell me what was wrong because he thought that if he “said” it that he was “claiming” it and that he would therefore have it. That is ridiculous but that is the reasoning that comes out of this teaching.People that are facing financial needs are afraid to say that they are struggling because they think that saying it will cause them to struggle but guess what? They are struggling already! There is absolutely nothing wrong in telling the truth! That is one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shall not lie.Jesus never denied the facts or situations that he faced and neither did Paul. Jesus said Lazarus is DEAD. Jesus asked the father of the boy having seizures, “How long has he been like this?”.Jesus said, “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head”. Jesus said that he was going to Jerusalem and that he would be killed. Jesus was not afraid to tell the truth or to present the facts.Paul said that he left his assistant sick. Paul told Timothy to drink wine for his often infirmities. Paul said that he was robbing churches to help the Corinthians. Paul said that he had a thorn in the flesh. Paul said that he had enemies. Paul said that he was hungry and thirsty. Paul said that it was because of a sickness that he preached the Gospel in Galatians. Paul said that he was in bonds. Paul said that he was perplexed. If it were a true spiritual law that “You will have what you say” then that truth would be all over the Epistles. Something that important and powerful would be brought up over and over again by Peter, Paul, James and Jude. It’s just not scriptural. It is the gross misinterpretation of an hyperbole. Have you ever heard of a mountain being thrown into the sea just cause some one spoke it? You cannot take that verse word for word literally because it is an on purpose exaggeration.I recently received an angry letter from a lady that has been depending on her confession and her words to heal her. She told me that she is sticking to the teaching. She is a sickly woman that cannot walk. Hmmmmmm.I know many, many Christians that have been confessing things and speaking things into existence for years with no results. They come into my office crying all the time and asking me why it isn’t working.Word of Faith people need to learn that it is God that calleth things that be not and not man. Man has no creative ability in his words as taught by the Word of Faith teachers. Their own teaching does not work in their own lives. I know many Word of Faith teachers, pastors and people that have perfect confessions and messed up lives. I know Word of Faith preachers that confess that they are well and healed and are not. They die of heart attacks, strokes and cancer just like others do. Their kids go through divorces and drugs and homosexuality just like others do.The error is in basing your faith in your ability to believe instead of TRUSTING in God. The error is putting faith in faith and faith in words instead of having faith in God.It is heart breaking to hear well meaning church members worrying that their prayers are cancelled because they answered a question that the doctor asked or that a friend asked. They think that if they say they are sick that they are receiving the sickness. If they only would wake up and realize that they are sick!God understands that we are humans. He will not cancel out your prayer request because you stated a fact in your life.This false doctrine in ruining innocent church people all over the world. Lives are being wrecked because of it. Faith people are losing faith because of this teaching.Put your faith in the love and mercy of God. His hands are big! Pray that people who are teaching this bondage will be delivered. Pray that God will open their eyes to truth. Amen.

Responses

The lessons you taught are what you had been taught by people you respected.The teaching was what you wanted to hear and you swallowed the company line.

Once you gained experience, started using the references that had influenced your thinking. You began to see fallacies in the WOF teaching. Now doing your own studying and research it has become clear to you what needed to be done and you started working to correct what you taught in error.

Do not get down on yourself!! You are doing good and I am very proud of you. There are very few people that would get up in front of a group of people, say that I was wrong and ask for forgiveness. Then try to have them understand what and why you felt like they had been misled.

It takes guts and pride to admit you made a mistake, but don’t let it go to your head as I have made mistakes before. Of course I did not admit it, just lied and kept on. LOL

By: Ben_There on June 10, 2008 at 9:53 pm

ruf ruf~!

By: John Edwards on June 10, 2008 at 8:34 pm

Dude you make some really good points! I can tell that you’ve pondered this out, and are keeping your heart right about it while you search for the truth.

I have also wondered why more people aren’t blessed and healed when there is SO much teaching available to us along that line. It seems like the extreme minority (the big dogs) of the Word of Faith camp that teach the message are the ones that benefit the most from it. What about the little dogs?